Parent guides
The stuff no one tells you
before the visit.
Three deep guides written by parents and early childhood experts. Read the openers free — unlock the full playbooks with the parent kit.
10 min read
12 visit-day red flags most parents miss
What looks fine on a polished visit — and isn't.
Read the guide12 min read
The first week: a separation playbook that actually works
Day-by-day script for the hardest week of your year.
Read the guide8 min read
Ratios, group sizes & what good actually looks like
State minimums vs. what experts recommend.
Read the guide9 min read
The 30-minute tour prep that surfaces what marketing hides
What to do the night before, the morning of, and inside the building.
Read the guide9 min read
How they handle the hard moments: a discipline evaluation guide
Biting, hitting, big feelings — what good guidance actually looks like.
Read the guide8 min read
Preschool to kindergarten: what readiness actually means
Why letter recognition is the wrong metric — and what isn't.
Read the guide9 min read
What you're actually paying for: cost & value, decoded
Why a $2,400/mo center can be worse than an $1,800/mo one.
Read the guide
Unlock the full guide
The rest of this guide — including pros, cons, red flags, and the exact questions to ask on your visit — is part of the Child Care Compass parent kit.
- Honest pros & cons for all 12 curriculums
- Visit-day red flags most parents miss
- Curriculum-specific questions to ask
- The complete vetted evaluation checklist
- Unlimited program visits & side-by-side scoring
- The first-week transition guide
Trusted by parents visiting centers across the US.